Rovers back in training as FAI talks are continuing
Sligo Rovers’ senior players returned to training on Saturday as they look towards a return to action with talks ongoing with the FAI.
The club’s underage teams will return to training later this week, but the FAI are yet to issue schedules regarding their return to competitive action.
It is hoped that the League of Ireland will return by the end of July/start of August.
Clubs had struggled to come to an agreement regarding the format of the league, once the financing issues were somewhat closer to being sorted.
Most clubs were reportedly on the same page last week, except for Shamrock Rovers.
Daniel McDonnell reported the following in The Irish Independent: “Nine Premier Division clubs are now on the same page about the format for a return to play in 2020 with league leaders Shamrock Rovers standing apart.
“But it’s the stance of the FAI’s decision making bodies on promotion and relegation that is set to determine the way forward with First Division teams still opposed to the solution favoured by 90pc of their top flight counterparts.
“On Friday, a contingent of Premier clubs held discussions and agreed they would tell the Abbotstown authorities they would prefer if the bottom team was relegated and the First Division champions were promoted with playoffs taken out of the equation from a curtailed 18 game campaign.
“That group has since swelled from seven to nine and have informed the FAI of their viewpoint. But Shamrock Rovers see the picture differently and feel the right call is to stick with the original system which would see the second from bottom side face a playoff against a First Division opponent to preserve their status.”
No matter what happens, it appears as though the season will just be 18 games, and Sligo Rovers have played just four, losing all of them and so they are up against it when football does return.